


Waves -A Pokémon Short Story

by ZeltheWeavile



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Allister, Death, Flashbacks, Friendship, Galar - Pokémon, Gen, Love, Siblings, Survival, Water, earthquake, kanto, overcoming, tsunami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-12-14 12:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeltheWeavile/pseuds/ZeltheWeavile
Summary: First came the quake.It lasted a whole minute, nearly two. People panicked, only to calm down again as the shaking ceased. They thought they were safe.But they were wrong.Twenty minutes later, the wave arrived.Entire cities washed away, and half the region flooded. There was no warning and no way to prepare.For Bea, all she wanted was a nice, peaceful vacation with her brother. But when she takes a trip to Kanto, it's her against nature itself.She has to decide: is life really worth fighting for?





	1. Quake

**Author's Note:**

> First things first, thank you for picking this up and deciding to read it. It means a lot to know that people appreciate my stories and actually like them. 
> 
> Okay, now I want to say that this is a Sword/Shield short story. 
> 
> This story follows the journey of newly-appointed Gym Leader Bea and her trip to Kanto with her brother. 
> 
> I started to write this story a month before the games came out, and as people leaked more information (yes, I was one of those who saw the leaks), I began to edit and change some things. 
> 
> And only a few days before the games came out, people released some more information that goes completely against what I have written here in this story. 
> 
> In the SwSh canon world, Bea is a girl who is a Fighting-Type prodigy. She hardly ever smiles, and is extremely serious. 
> 
> In this story, she's the complete opposite: she loves to have fun and all that. Also she has an older brother. 
> 
> And then the Gym Leaders were leaked, including a Dark-Type leader named Piers. 
> 
> Looking at the original picture of Piers, he actually looked really cool! I really liked him and his design. 
> 
> But, uh, that was before someone went and showed him in a battle— a day before the games' release. I didn't like him at all. 
> 
> Anyway, I already have everything written, and I am in no mood to go and rewrite everything. So, I'm sorry if this annoys anyone. 
> 
> Maybe in the future I'll edit some of the minor details so that it's factually correct, but for now, I'm just going to leave it as it is. 
> 
> For now, I'm just going to say that this takes place in an alternate reality, where Bea is happy and has a brother; where Piers is actually cool; where Allister and Bea are friends. 
> 
> I think that's all I have to say, other than that this happens a few years before the SwSh games. 
> 
> Again, thank you for picking this up and reading it!

"Hey, Bea! Wait up!"

Bea ignored her brother's call and ran ahead. Her short, dirty blonde hair hit the sides of her head with each step. Her eyes were a light gray. She had a tough face with tanned skin. Underneath her thin athletic shirt and shorts, her body was well musculated, adapted to swing a punch or to kick away enemies.

"Geez, Bea, with how excited you seem, it's almost as if you've never explored another region before." The girl's older brother followed behind her, more slowly. He was pretty tall for his age, standing at 6' 5". He had blonde hair so light it was almost white, as well as his sister's gray eyes. He had a bit darker skin than Bea, but that's not surprising, especially since he spent most of his time swimming along the Galarian shore.

Bea stopped in her steps and looked back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I have, actually. Remember that time I went with Alli to Kalos?"

"Yeah, and you scared him half to death on that trip," her brother muttered, not expecting her to hear.

"Hey, it's not like I meant to!" She loooed down and grumbled, "I was just trying to show him a cool Honedge. . ."

"Well maybe he doesn't like Ghosts?"

"That makes literally no sense!" Bea lifted her head and glared at her brother. "Why would Alli specialize in Ghost-types if he hates them so much?"

"I was just putting it out there. Calm down," her brother took a step back and held his hands up in defense.

"You calm down," Bea growled softly as she reached up to adjust her Scorbunny headband. It was a gift that Allister had gotten her when she first got her spot as a Galarian Gym Leader, and she wore it every day ever since. "I wish Alli was here."

"Well you know that he doesn't like big crowds. Honestly, I feel like I know more about him than you do." The older boy walked past her.

"Oh, well then what about you and Nessa, hm? I know her better than you." Bea smirked. She then noticed his freezing and red face. "What's the matter, Dylan?" Her voice raised a little as she said his name.

"Why do you bring her up now? And you know that that's not fair at all, since you're a Gym Leader, along with her. . ." Dylan turned his head away from her.

"Yeah, it may not be fair, but it sure is fun to mess with you." Bea resumed her brisk pace, and Dylan had to rush to keep up.

Dylan was silent, trying to control his obvious blush, so Bea went on. "You only like her because she's a famous fashion model, am I right?"

"That's not true!" Dylan grabbed Bea's shoulder, only to have her swing her arm around and narrowly miss his face. One look at her face said everything: _You're lucky I wasn't aiming._

"Okay, you think she likes you, but remember that she's a busy Gym Leader, and has no room for romantic relationships." She lifted his arm off of her shoulder and let her eyes bore into his own. _"Remember that."_

"Ouch," Dylan called out as Bea began to leave again.

Bea ignored him; she wasn't going to let her brother ruin her vacation. Although she had only been a Gym Leader for a year now, breaks like this were hard to come by. She wanted to relish it for as long as she could.

She paused as she finally saw the place she and Dylan had been looking for for so long.

"The beach. . . Finally," Dylan breathed from behind her.

Bea stared around her at the vast expanse of golden sand and cerulean water. Several families of people were scattered throughout the area, their umbrellas signaling where they camped up.

"Race you to the water!" Dylan shouted and began running towards the waves.

"You're so childish!" Hardly a second passed before Bea processed his challenge and had outrun him. However, her large feet, more accustomed to kicks than sprinting on unsolid sand, slipped to each side. Bea watched in annoyance as Dylan ran past her, laughing at her misfortune.

Bea groaned and spat out the sand in her mouth. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.

Her thoughts were supported as something hard hit the side of her head, knocking her head back into the sand.

"Geez, if I didn't know any better, I'd think I wasn't welcome here in Kanto." Bea grumbled as she once again spat her mouth free of the miserable, crunchy sand.

"I'm sorry!" A child's voice entered her ears. She looked up, seeing a young boy running towards her. He had black hair that covered his dark eyes, and brown skin. Behind him, three other boys stood, watching Bea with a slightly annoyed expression on their faces. A Pikachu and Croconaw stood beside two of them.

"I didn't mean to hit you!" the boy said again, reaching Bea and stretching his hand down to her. Bea gratefully took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. "You see, my friends and I were playing football and then I kicked it and it hit you and. . ."

At the word "football", Bea perked up. "You guys play football here in Kanto too?" She couldn't stop the excitement from escaping her voice.

The boy blinked, probably surprised that either she wasn't mad at him, or that she seemed interested in playing football— probably both. "Uh, yeah?" He looked over Bea and her clothing. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Bea smiled. "Is it really that obvious?" She ran a hand through her now-sandy hair. "Nah, I'm not from here. This is actually my vacation from home."

"Woah!" The boy grinned. "Where are you from?"

"Galar," Bea answered. "It's a long trip from here to there."

"Hey, Josiah!" One of the boys in the group shouted towards Bea and the boy. "Get back over here— and hurry up!"

Josiah lowered his head. "Sorry, but I have to go." He grabbed the football, which had landed behind Bea.

"Wait," Bea called out to him before he left. He turned back to look at her. "Mind if I play with you and your friends?"

Josiah nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Come on!" He broke off in a run back to his friends. Bea followed much slower, not wanting to embarrass herself anymore.

When she finally caught up to Josiah, the other three boys were looking at her skeptically. "You want to play football?" Bea was taken aback by the boy's sharp tone.

"Yes," Bea answered calmly, ignoring his rude demeanor. "Is that okay?"

"Football isn't for girls!" Another boy chimed in, glaring at her.

Bea sighed and looked at the fourth boy, half expecting him to tell her to leave. Instead, she saw him looking at her face, confusion and thoughtfulness on his own.

"Conner, Matt, don't be mean to her," Josiah said, a small frown on his face. "Her name's. . ." He froze and looked back at Bea, and she realized she hadn't told him her name yet.

"My name is Bea, and I'm from Galar."

The last boy gasped. He stared at Bea, realization now evident in his expression. "You're Bea!" He shouted. "Like, the Galarian Gym Leader, Bea?!"

Bea couldn't stop from blushing slightly in embarrassment. Was she really that well-known? "You know me?" She asked slowly. She didn't quite understand how he knew her, since she lived on the other side of the world, and she was still a new Gym Leader.

"Yes!" He shook her hand quickly. "My name's Abe, and my sister is your biggest fan! She's going to be so jealous when I tell her I met you. . ."

Bea laughed nervously. _I never thought I'd be so well-known, especially all the way over here._

"Well," Conner huffed and crossed his arms. "If you're a Gym Leader like Abe says you are, then I guess you can play with us."

"Thanks!" Bea grinned and took a step back. "Can my Pokémon join too, for the practice?" Conner nodded and so Bea brought out two Poké Balls. "Hawlucha, Mienfoo, come out!" She threw her two Balls, revealing a bird-like Pokémon. Her ruby feathers glinted in the sunlight and she stretched her wings, revealing emerald feathers underneath. The second Pokémon was a light yellow color, and stood on two feet. Her arms were a light maroon color, ending in cream hands. She had a long cream and maroon tail, as well as red legs and feet.

"I've never seen those two Pokémon before!" Josiah exclaimed.

Conner coughed, directing everyone's attention to him. "Are we going to play, or no?" He narrowed his eyes at Bea as he spoke.

"I'm ready," Bea responded, shrugging.

"Good. Then Abe, Matt, Croconaw, Pikachu, and me against you and Josiah." Conner smiled a tiny bit, probably thinking that this was going to be an easy win for him.

"Sounds good to me," Bea smiled.

Conner nodded and passed the ball to her. "Ladies first," he sneered.

Bea simply shrugged. "If you say so. Where are the goals?" Josiah nudged her hand and pointed to two cones about three feet apart, quite a distance from them.

Bea took a breath and reached out to tap the ball to begin the match.

"Bea!" Bea whirled around at Dylan's call. He was running to her, completely soaked from swimming in the ocean. "I'm going to go look for a Pokémon here in Kanto."

"Okay, so?" Bea but her lip and tried to ignore the dirty look Conner was giving her. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because I wanted to let you know?"

"Okay." Bea turned her back to him. Yet, she could still sense him standing there, not moving. "What?" She turned back around to face him.

"Can I, uh, borrow one of your Pokémon?" Dylan asked meekly.

"You have your own!" Bea responded.

"But he's still so weak! C'mon, Bea, please?" He looked at her with a sincere face.

"Fine," Bea said. She felt the acute gazes of the boys behind her. "Lu, go with him."

Hawlucha nodded and ran over to Dylan. The eighteen-year-old smiled at the dual type Pokémon, but she ignored it and walked past him.

"Thanks, sis! See you later!" Dylan called out to Bea. She didn't reply to him.

"I'm sorry about my brother," she apologized once he was out of earshot. "Anyway, you guys ready?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Conner remarked. "And don't get mad at me when you lose, because you gave up your own teammate."

"I know." Bea passed the ball to Josiah, catching him by surprise. He managed to recover quickly and return it back to Bea.

"But I don't need Lu to win." She dodged Matt's attempt to trip her, and ran with the ball through the sand, not once slipping like she had done earlier. In less than a minute she had scored a goal, even with five opponents chasing her.

"Wow, you're awesome!" Josiah told her after she won them their fourth point. Mienfoo nodded, agreeing with him.

"Oh, thank you." Bea rubbed the back of her head. "How about you try scoring the next goal?"

"But I'm not anywhere close to being as good as you!" He countered quickly.

Bea laughed softly. "I'll help you, so don't worry."

Josiah hesitated before nodding. "Alright, I'll try."

The new game started, and Conner began by passing to Matt. Bea tried to run to him to intercept, but Abe had learned from his mistakes of the last few games and was guarding her like a Yamper to a Poké Ball. And if she were to ever escape from him, she had Conner's Croconaw to worry about.

Matt dribbled the ball, evading Josiah, only to be stopped as Mienfoo ran past him, swiping the football as she did so.

"Woo! Go Mienfoo!" Bea cheered, watching as Mienfoo ran past Pikachu and passed the ball to Josiah. The Kantonian took two steps with the ball before swinging his leg back for a huge kick.

His foot made contact, and the ball soared over the goal and towards the water.

Josiah sighed. "I'll go get it," he said, sounding a bit annoyed at himself.

"Don't worry, Josiah, you'll get it next time," Bea called out to him as he ran towards the water to get the football.

"Pika!" Matt's Pikachu cried out suddenly and cowered.

"Hey, Pikachu, what's wr—" Matt was cut short as the ground quivered beneath everyone's feet. It started with a slight movement, catching everyone by surprise.

Bea felt a bit sick with the rumbling of the earth. She collapsed to the ground, feeling the sand jump up and down, scratching her bare skin.

"Help!" A voice cried out, full of fear. Bea could barely make out the word spoken, let alone who it belonged to. "Help me!" the voice yelled again, and this time Bea was able to understand.

She jumped up, barely able to stand. The shaking was so violent she thought she would throw up. She finally managed to take her gaze away from her feet, only to see Josiah trapped in wet sand up to his knees.

"Help!" He was screaming, over and over, trying desperately to free himself. But the ground was so slick that every scoop he made brought a gallon down to cover more of his legs. Tears fell down his face as he realized his efforts weren't doing anything.

Bea broke off in a run towards the boy, stumbling more than once. Once he reached him, though, the ground froze. The shaking that had seemed to last for hours had come to an abrupt halt.

Bea took a few seconds to catch her breath before returning to the situation at hand. She hurried to Josiah and began pulling huge handfuls of sand and throwing them behind her.

"Matt! Conner! Abe!" She yelled. "Help me!"

Moments later, the four of them, along with their three Pokémon, were digging Josiah out from his inescapable grave.

There was commotion all around them, mostly from the families and adults there. Everyone seemed confused and scared. One woman seemed pretty annoyed by it all.

"I came here from Unova, and this is the first thing that I experience? I am never coming back here again."

Bea bit back a rude remark to the woman, and continued digging Josiah out of the watery sand.

They had freed him down to his shins when Bea got an idea. "Josiah, wrap your arms around me."

Josiah looked at her, not understanding. "What?"

"Trust me. I'll pull you out." Her gaze towards the younger boy was gentle, and she watched in relief as he slowly nodded.

"Alright." He lifted his arms towards her, and she leaned down to wrap them around her neck. She grabbed his sides and glanced at the other boys.

"You three, help push him out of the sand, alright?" They nodded. "Okay, on the count of three. One, two— three!"

As one, the four of them pushed and pulled with all their strength. Bea straightened herself and was walking backwards, pulling Josiah out with her. Within a few seconds, Josiah was laying in the sand, free and exhausted.

Bea fell to the ground a few feet away, looking around the beach. There were a few groups of people talking amongst themselves, but no one seemed to notice her or the boys.

"Where are your boys' parents?" She turned to them.

Conner looked away, and it was Matt that spoke up.

"They're back at our homes. We usually come here every Saturday. . ." He shifted slightly. "I didn't know that. . . that would happen."

Bea nodded. "It's alright. No one knew it was coming." She stood up and extended a hand to help Josiah up as well. "Well, we'd better go back to your homes and tell your parents you're alright."

Josiah nodded and clasped Bea's hand with his own. He looked up at her, his face full of fear. Instantly Bea was filled with sympathy and she gave him a small, comforting smile before turning to the others. "Come on."

They had taken no more than five steps when Mienfoo let out a quiet whine. "Foo. . ."

Bea looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Mien Mienfoo Mien. . ." She looked at Bea, worried.

Bea knew exactly what she was saying. Dylan.

The Fighting-Type Gym Leader turned around and looked at the water. After all, he loved swimming. Maybe he was safe; he had Lu after all.

Her hopes vanished as she saw that the ocean water was completely gone. Where there had been gentle waves only minutes before, there was now sand, quickly drying in the bright sun.

"Woah. . ." Conner ran back to the shore. He gazed across the beach. "What happened to the water?"

"Get back here!" Bea yelled at him, not knowing at all what was going on, but wanting to leave as soon as possible.

Conner ignored her cries and motioned for Matt to come to him. He did, with Pikachu on his shoulder.

Then, way off in the distance, Bea thought she could see a wave of water. It was a bit blurry, but. . .

A siren began squealing behind them, making everyone start.

Abe's face went white. "No. . ." He breathed.

Bea could hear other people, sharing her confusion. But she heard one word louder and more frequently than any other: tsunami.

_Tsunami_.

A tsunami was headed right towards them.


	2. First Wave

Bea was frozen in fear. The tsunami was coming towards them. It wasn't even slowing down at all. And yet, here she was, completely still and staring at this wave. All around her, people were shouting and running from shore as fast as as they could, but Bea hardly took notice of them. She didn't even see when Conner and Matt had run back to her.

_I need to find Dylan! _But she knew that right now, she needed to protect these kids. That was her responsibility right now. And yet. . .

She looked down, at their pale faces and wide eyes. Josiah was squeezing her hand and crying , almost as if accepting the fate looming over them all. Even Conner and Matt, who had seemingly hated her just half an hour ago, were holding onto her like she would be the one to save them.

_I'm no hero. . . But maybe I can still save them._

"RUN!" She screamed as loud as she could. She didn't know where she had gotten that energy from, but that didn't matter.

Conner and Matt didn't need much convincing to leave, and they charged towards the nearby canopy of green leaves. Pikachu was sitting on Matt's shoulder, and Conner's Croconaw was running right beside them.

Bea didn't waste any more time and rushed into action. She picked up the two boys into her arms, giving Abe Mienfoo's Poké Ball to recall her. Bea ran as fast as she could after Conner and Matt, not once tripping on her own feet.

Even with her quick speed, though, she knew that she wouldn't be able to reach safety in time. . . But she could at least _try_.

Josiah moved his head slightly to peer over Bea's shoulder, and he suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Bea turned her head back, only to be met with a wall of water. Bea was thrown to the ground, along with Josiah and Abe. The next thing she knew, her grip on them was pried away. She didn't even notice as her Scorbunny headband was pulled off and her hair began to fly free all around her face.

She struggled, not knowing which way was up and which way was down. The only thing she knew was that she needed to get back to the surface; to get air. But she was spinning so much that she couldn't even see which way she needed to go. Her throat and lungs and eyes burned. She hardly noticed as debris floating in the water scraped against her skin.

_Dylan. . . Alli!_ With one final kick, she propelled herself in a random direction. Immediately her head shot out of the water, and she took several huge gulps of air.

"Dylan!" Bea screamed at the top of her lungs, her throat burning. She didn't care what it took, she needed to find her brother. Luckily he was skilled in swimming. . . But even then, she doubted that he would be able to swim in this kind of current.

All around her was water, with no one or nothing to get help from. She might as well have been thrown off of a boat in the middle of the sea. And yet, she still tried to search for her brother.

"Dylan! Lu!" She turned around, her eyes scanning every which way for any sign of her older sibling's blonde hair or of Hawlucha's crimson feathers. "Dylan! Dyl-"

Her foot caught on something. Either that, or something caught her foot. No matter the case, she was pulled down into the watery depths of the torrent. Waves crashed above where her head had been just seconds before.

_I need to. . . keep fighting!_

But what was the point?

_I'm a fighting master. . !_

She sure didn't feel like it. She felt pathetic and useless. Maybe she should just give up. . .

_No . . . Alli. . . Dylan. . . I need to. . . Alli._

With her mind full of nothing else except her need to see the raven-haired Ghost Trainer, she made one last effort to reach the surface.

Her movements did nothing, except for making her more exhausted.

The current tugged at her hair, almost in a dreamlike way. Her body felt light as the ocean lifted each of her limbs gently. It was almost as if it was welcoming her to stay here with it forever. That didn't sound like a bad idea. . .

_Alli, I'll be one of your ghost friends. . ._

Her vision began to cloud around the edges, and she started to close her eyes. The silence just felt too peaceful to resist.

_"Bea! Bea!" _The ocean called out to her, its voice surrounded her entire presence. _". . . Almost there!"_

Her eyes stayed open just long enough to see a feathered being's silhouette above her. It was coming closer and closer to her, determined to reach her.

And then everything went black.

🌊 🌊 🌊

"Hey, why do you like Ghosts so much?" Bea looked at her best friend, smiling softly.

"I- I don't know," Allister stumbled. He turned his face away from Bea, as if avoiding her gaze, although he was wearing his mask, so she couldn't even see his expression anyway. "M- Maybe it's b- because they remind me of my parents?"

"Hmmm." Bea seemed to consider this. "But how can you remember something that you have no memory of?"

"I do have memories!" Allister snapped his head back in her direction. "I remember my mother caring for me, and my father coming home from work. I was only about three or four then. . ."

Bea was silent for several seconds, and then a huge grin spread across her face. "Hey, you didn't stutter that time, Alli!"

Allister covered his mask with his hands, as if trying to hide the embarrassed blush beneath it. "A- Alli?"

"Yep!" Bea beamed at her friend. "That's what I want to call you now, unless you don't like it."

Allister's face flushed even more from underneath his mask. "N- No, it's f- fine."

"Great!" Bea jumped up to her feet and extended an arm down to the boy. He blinked at it a few times, then lifted his head to meet her gaze. Then, he slowly lifted his hand up to hers. Her tan fingers wrapped around his pale ones, and the next thing Allister knew, she was leading him down a path deeper into Glimwood Tangle.

Eventually, Bea started to slow down in a clearing in the middle of the tangle. She stopped and looked at Allister, her face bright. "How's this?"

Allister looked around slowly, watching in awe as mushrooms on the ground glowed for several seconds before fading back to no light. All around him, a neon green light seemed to glow. The place was beautiful. Allister couldn't even find the words to describe it.

"I'll take your silence as a 'Ooh, Bea! I love it! Thank you so much for bringing me here!'" Bea gave a quiet laugh, but froze as she heard Allister's soft giggle.

"Woah, did you just laugh?!" Her smile was even bigger now, and she was watching Allister, as if expecting a response from him.

"You know, you don't have to be so talkative, Alli," she said in a joking voice. "Sometimes I'd like to be able to talk too."

Allister blinked and looked down, nervous. Although Bea was his best friend, she sometimes made him feel embarrassed. He knew that she was only joking, but it still felt weird. "Uh- Uh, Bea. . ." He trailed off, not quite sure now what to say.

"Go on," Bea encouraged, watching as he stared at the ground.

"I. . ." A wave of guilt ran through him as he hid behind his mask. He had known Bea for years now, but never once had he taken off his mask to see her fully. "I—"

A bush quivered nearby, and a majestic creature jumped out. It was as white as snow, with a black striped horn on the top of its long head. Puffy, pink and blue strands of fur trailed out from behind it, like a mane of cotton candy, as she ran right past them, so close that Allister could have touched her if he wanted.

Allister smiled to himself and closed his eyes. He reached behind his head and undid the straps to his mask without a single word.

Bea watched the creature race by, amazed. "Alli, I think that was a Pony—" She stopped as she was now looking at a boy's face.

Dark black eyes glanced at her from behind a sheet of raven hair. A pink face and red cheeks caught her eye, but what made her freeze was his mouth. Ever-so-gently, his mouth was curved into a smile.

Hidden behind the mask was an actual smile. It had been so long that Bea had begun to think that he didn't even have emotions. But then he laughed, and now. . .

"You look beautiful," Bea whispered, causing the poor boy's cheeks to redden even more from embarrassment. Yet, he didn't cover his face or put the mask back on.

"I- I'm not. Y- You are," Allister stuttered. He was caught off guard when Bea hugged him suddenly.

"I know that's not true, but thank you." She broke away and looked into his bright eyes. "I could never deserve a friend as great as you."

She took the mask from his hands and tied it back onto his face. "Thank you for showing me who you are. I'll never forget this." She took both his hands in hers. "Remember when I first met you?"

Allister nodded slowly, gazing up at her from his mask.

"I told you I would fight to protect you, that I would train to protect you?"

Allister nodded again.

"I intend to keep that promise for as long as I can.

"Because I am a Fighter."

🌊 🌊 🌊

_I am a Fighter._

Bea bolted upright and vomited up water. Her lungs were on fire, but still she coughed, emptying her stomach of the salt water. She felt an emptiness inside, yet she continued to spit out what little was in her.

"Bea!" Something wrapped around her. She coughed, but the something— or _someone—_ didn't let go of her. Instead, the person patted her back and began rocking her back and forth. "You're alive, you're alive, you're alive," the person was whispering, the voice masculine and very familiar. "Thank Zacian, you're alive."

Bea turned her head, seeing the boy who had her in his arms. His face was buried in her shoulder, but his blonde hair was unmistakable.

"Dylan?" She croaked out. It almost seemed surreal, being able to see him again.

Dylan finally moved his head back, revealing his face. His gray eyes were puffy and red as tears rolled down his cheeks. He was hardly recognizable, though, as there were bright marks on his left cheek and on his forehead. "Yes, Bea. It's me." Bea didn't reply, but looked at him a bit closer now. As Bea's gaze moved downward, she froze at a large gash on his left shoulder, extending down to his elbow. He had his blue shirt tied around it, but there was still a bit of blood seeping through.

"Dylan, you're bleeding!" Bea ignored the unusually sharp pain in her neck and reached towards her brother's arm to stop the bleeding. 

"Bea!" Dylan was quick to stop her. "I'm fine, I promise. You need to worry about yourself."

"But I'm fine!" She remarked, only to wince in pain as her neck flared to life and a warm liquid ran down herself. Bea fell back, now struggling to breathe. These tight clothes she wore would usually give her easy mobility and breathing. Now they were like a cage trapping her.

Dylan hissed something under his breath and looked behind him at something. "Conner, bring me the rag for her bleeding."

Bea hardly had enough time to express her surprise when a familiar face came into view. Brown hair, blue eyes, yet the expression on his face wasn't anger or annoyance, or even fear for himself.

It was fear for _her_.

"Bea. . ." Conner breathed, looking at her. He had a guilty appearance. "I'm sorry for treating you so rudely earlier! I never thought—"

"You can have your reunion later," Dylan growled, snatching a piece of cloth from the younger boy's hands. "For now, Conner, you go help the others." He placed the piece of fabric onto Bea's neck, adding a gentle amount of pressure.

"But—"

"Just go!" Dylan pressed down a bit harder, making Bea bite her tongue in order to hold back a squeak of pain. Dylan looked at Bea and quickly loosened his pressure on her wound. "Sorry."

Bea didn't reply; she just looked at Dylan, confused.

Dylan sighed. "Lu found you about ten minutes ago, and called me over. I swam and swam, trying to reach you before it was too late. Then Lu jumped into the water and pulled you out."

Bea remembered a voice from when she was still in the water: _"Bea . . .almost there!" _So it was actually Dylan.

"Together Lu and I dragged you to our safe place." He motioned to the area around him. From the looks of it, they were on the roof of a tall building. When he looked back at Bea though, his eyes were full of tears. He sucked in a breath and continued. "You didn't have a pulse, and you weren't breathing." That's when he completely broke down, tears pouring down his face. "I thought I'd lost you, Bea! I don't know what I would've done if you ever left!" His body shook with the effort to breathe. "What would I tell Mom and Dad if you died— What would I tell _Allister_?"

Bea placed her hand on his own near her neck. "I'm here now, aren't I?" Her words were soft. "You don't need to worry about me. Go help the others."

"No, Bea, I can't! I can't go without knowing you're okay!"

"And I'm fine now, aren't I?" She glanced over his shoulder. "And you should go help out Conner; he looks like he's struggling with everyone."

Dylan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "You're probably right. I'll be back soon— _and don't you dare die on me again,_ you got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He moved his hand away from her neck, but kept her hand there on the cloth to stop the bleeding. He brushed her hair away from her face before leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Be strong."

The next thing Bea knew she was all by herself once more. She slowly sat up, relieved to find that her cut was no longer hurting. She pulled the cloth away from her gently and looked around.

There were several other people there with her, not including Dylan and Conner. A few Pokémon sat in the corner, watching with worried expressions as their Trainers were being taken care of. A Chansey, among a few others, were laying down, either due to injuries or exhaustion.

A bright blue ball rushed past Bea, right in front of her face. She jumped back, only to be nearly attacked by another sphere.

Bea turned her head, noticing a white creature holding onto a street lamp. It charged up another Aura Sphere attack before firing it towards Bea again. It was about to charge up another one, but stopped as it saw Bea looking at it.

"Shao!" It called to her, but Bea was only barely able to hear.

_That Pokémon needs my help!_

She glanced back at Dylan, only to find that he hadn't even seen the Pokémon there. Bea jumped to her feet and ran towards the edge of the building, ignoring her brother's yells for her to come back.

Bea swam as hard as she could, letting the current pull her towards the Pokémon. As she neared it, the Pokémon extended a long white and purple arm out towards her, which Bea quickly grabbed and was pulled towards the lamp post with the Pokémon.

Only then did she notice the two bodies hanging from the Pokémon's other long arm. Her face paled as she recognized their faces.

Abe.

And Josiah.

She quickly turned her head back to the Pokémon, finally seeing the resemblance it had to her Pokémon.

"Mienfoo. . ." She whispered.

"Shao," she corrected, and pointed with her nose to the two boys' unconscious forms. _Right. They're more important._

But then she noticed two golden-colored lights, one big and the other small, coming towards them. Even with the current pushing against whatever this thing was, it still managed to make it way towards them, slowly and steadily.

The lights began to light up as the Pokémon leapt out of the water: a glorious blue fish, with sky-blue fins and a yellow face.

"Lanturn," Bea breathed as she recognized the Pokémon.

The Lanturn dove back into the water, but it's two lights were still glowing brightly. Bea knew that this only meant one thing.

"Mienfoo, Protect!"

Mienshao waved her one free arm around, creating a large, yet thin barrier, around herself, Bea, and the two boys. At that same time, the Lanturn shot out a powerful wave of electricity. Within a few seconds the attack dispersed, but more than a few other Water-Type Pokémon rose to the surface, stunned from Thunder Wave, only to be washed down the current.

The protective casing around the four of them shattered, and they were defenseless again against the Lanturn.

"Aura Sphere!" Bea commanded, but Mienshao's attack hit the water and came to an abrupt halt. Her attacks couldn't do anything to the Lanturn while he was in the water.

"Protect!"

Lanturn's Thunder Wave again was blocked by the wall around them, causing it to shatter once more.

"Bea!" Dylan yelled, about to jump into the water after her.

"No! Don't!" She told him. If he were to place even one toe in the water and then have Lanturn attack. . . She didn't want to think of what might happen to her brother.

Dylan seemed to notice Lanturn, and watched in horror as it fired yet another Thunder Wave, only to be blocked by Protect.

Mienshao was more than exhausted, but still she kept her defense up. Bea wanted so badly to tell her to relax, that her job was over. But she couldn't; Mienshao was her only source of protection.

"There are two other boys here with me!" Bea yelled to Dylan. _I can't tell if they're alive. . ._

Mienshao let out a cry, directing Bea's attention back to Josiah and Abe. The former was slowly sinking into the water, his face covered now by the torrent. Without another moment to spare, Bea dove down after him, using the lamp post as a guide. His hand was still gripped in Mienshao's, but he didn't seem to be conscious still. But if he were still alive, Bea could never forgive herself for letting him die so easily.

She grabbed him and swam up, pinning him against the lamp post to keep him in place.

But now she had another problem: Lanturn was closing in on the distance between them, and Mienshao was very quickly losing energy.

"Mien. . ." she breathed as she turned to look at Bea, an apologetic look on her face. She couldn't go on any more, with holding onto Abe, Josiah, and Bea, as well as dealing with Lanturn, not to mention the waves around them hitting her like hundreds of Surf attacks.

'You did great,' Bea wanted to tell her, but couldn't. She just couldn't find the words to accept Mienshao's defeat. No matter what, she had to stay strong.

After all, that's what Fighting-Types are known for doing.

But now, here she was, with two children, stranded on a lamp post with the raging current all around. Her Mienshao couldn't go on, and all the while, Dylan was watching the scene play out.

It was all over.

Lanturn lit his lights up as he charged for another attack.


	3. Recede

Bea closed her eyes and hugged Mienshao, Abe, and Josiah close to her. If they were going to die, at least they would die together.

_Dylan. . . Alli. . . I'm sorry._

She took a breath, expecting to feel the paralyzing effect of Thunder Wave. That pain, though, never came.

A wave of confusion swept over Bea. How was she still alive? Wait, was she even alive? Had she died and not felt anything?

Her neck throbbed. No, she was very much alive. She opened her eyes the tiniest amount, noticing that the Lanturn was being attacked by something. The creature had to be only a few feet tall and blue colored, with a white fin for a tail. His tan face revealed two very angry-looking large eyes, underneath an aqua bump on his head.

"Pal. . . Toad!" The Palpitoad fired several large chunks of dirt, with so much power that they traveled through the swift current to hit their target. Lanturn screeched from the Mud Shot attack, and charged up a ball of concentrated electricity before sending it towards Palpitoad.

_No!_ Bea opened her mouth to yell at her brother's Pokémon, but her throat was burning; she couldn't speak.

However, the Electro Ball hit Palpitoad before dissipating into the water. Lanturn swam towards Palpitoad, his original target now forgotten. Bea watched as the two grew smaller and smaller, exchanging attacks at each other down the current.

And then, the water stopped.

The still water brought back memories of when Bea was meeting the different Gym Leaders. Melony, an Ice-Type user, had greeted her with open arms. She had seemed so kind and happy. A large and joyful smile was always on her face, no matter what was going on. When Bea went against her in a single battle, however, Melony's whole demeanor changed. She went from being a calm woman to becoming a loud, strict Trainer. Her Eiscue's Ice-moves dominated Bea's Mienfoo's low defense, ending in a quick loss and a frozen Fighting-Type.

And, just like Melony's mood change, the water resumed its pace, stronger than before. And going in the opposite direction.

"Bea!" She hadn't even noticed her brother's yells until now. She looked in the direction of where Lanturn and Palpitoad were, only to see that the two of them were heading towards them, both unable to slow down. She noticed a sharp rod dip above the surface before going back under— right in the Lanturn's path. She forced herself to look away as she heard the Lanturn's screech in pain.

"Pal!" Palpitoad was calling out to her, floating in her direction.

"Bea!" Dylan yelled again, drawing Bea's gaze to him. "Let go of the lamppost! Swim towards me! Hurry!"

Bea dared not look behind her at the torrent of water and the debris that it picked up. Without any hesitation, she whistled quietly to let Mienshao know that she was leaving, and then let go.

Josiah and Abe felt like dead weights in her arms, but she didn't let that slow her down. She managed to keep their heads above water as she kicked with her legs as hard as she could. She was gasping for breath, struggling to stay upright and swim perpendicular to the current.

Everything became a blurry memory after that. She remembered shouting, followed by being held in someone's arms, and then loud chattering. The last thing she remembered was pain on the back of her right leg, followed by the burning sensation of her neck.

Then everything faded into abyss.

🌊 🌊 🌊

It was dusk when Bea awoke. She lifted her head gingerly, hissing as her neck exploded with a sharp pain. Near her was Dylan, barely recognizable as his face was covered in red scars and liquid. He was asleep, leaning against what appeared to be a brick building. Bea felt behind her and realized that she was in the same position.

Dylan's arms were around two boys, one blonde an the other black-haired. Laying with his head against the teen's legs was Conner.

Abe. Josiah. Conner. Bea squinted her eyes, glad to see that they all seemed to be breathing normally. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, followed by a quiet "Shao?" from nearby.

Almost at once, Dylan woke up and turned his head around him. "Huh?" Then his gaze focused on Bea's eyes, shining in the moonlight. "You're awake!" He got up as quickly as he could while still leaving the three boys in their peaceful slumbers.

"By the mighty Zacian, you're alive!" Dylan crawled in front of her and hugged her like he had done earlier. . . Had it really been only a few hours ago? It felt like eons had passed.

"Y-Yes," Bea croaked out, closing her eyes in his sweet embrace. Prior to this disaster, she would have pushed him away the moment he even tried making physical contact with her. And now, she would give anything to stay here in the comfort of his arms.

Dylan pulled back much too soon for Bea's liking and looked into her eyes. Slowly the joy returned to his eyes and a soft smile came to his face. "What a story you'll have to tell the others back home."

A quiet laugh escaped Bea's throat, and she did her best to ignore the burning of her neck. "Yeah, I can't wait to see Piers's face when I tell him what I went through!"

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Piers? What about Allister?" He smirked jokingly and leaned closer. "Does my little sister have a crush?"

"What? No!" She punched him away and turned away, hiding her blush behind her arm as she coughed. "We're most like friendly rivals."

"If you say so," Dylan replied and looked up at the sky. "You know, I never knew how many stars there were in the night sky. It's really quite beautiful."

Bea lifted her eyes upward, placing a hand on her neck. Dylan was right; stars were scattered across the sky everywhere. It was like Zacian himself had bounded around the night, scattering silvery dots around himself. It was unlike anything Bea had ever seen.

"We never get a view like this back home. . ." Dylan spoke her thoughts. Then his hand shot up and pointed at something. "Hey, it's Eternatus!"

Bea stiffened. She had heard legends of the deadly Pokémon, and how violent it was. Her eyes widened as she glanced around. "Where?" She demanded.

Dylan laughed softly. "Calm down, Bea. It's only a constellation. It's not really Eternatus, but a group of stars in the formation of him."

Bea frowned and looked around. The stars all seemed the same; how could they all be forming something? Then she noticed a star a bit brighter than the rest. "What about that one?"

Dylan was quiet for a few seconds before responding "I believe that's the nose of Boltund, the fierce and agile hunter dog. And if you look above him," he lifted Bea's chin slightly, "you can see Yamper, his curious pup." He tilted his head and lowered her head ever so slightly. "Below them, I think, is Zamazenta. . ." Bea's eyelids grew heavy.

"And right there is Indeedee. . . Applin. . ." Bea fell asleep to the sound of his quiet excitement about the stars up above.

🌊 🌊 🌊

"Kanga. . ."

Bea's eyes slowly opened, taking in the pale morning light. Her right arm felt numb. Wait no, her whole body felt numb and her left arm felt dead. Looking down, she realized it was because Dylan had decided to use it to sleep on. She shrugged him off, seeing him stir slightly, only to return to his sleep whilst laying away from her.

"Khan?" Bea froze at the voice. Loud footsteps came nearer and nearer, making the Fighting-Type user's blood run cold. Whatever this thing was, coming towards them, she knew she had to get it away. It was probably looking forward to eating them. . .

Bea stood up, her legs wobbly. Her right leg felt like it was on fire, but she sucked in a breath, sucked in her pain. Slowly and unsteadily, she hobbled away from the brick building the others were using as shelter. She moved around fallen debris, consisting of broken glass, vehicles, furniture. . . You name it, it was here.

A colossal Pokémon stood before her as she turned a corner. Dark brown in color, it had a pale frontside and the same colored horns. Three sharp claws brandished each of the creature's hands. The darker part of the Pokémon's body was seemingly unharmed. The front, though. . . It was covered in small scratches and bruises, mostly along its belly area— where a pouch was.

"Kanga!" The beast roared and charged towards Bea. She took one step back, only to fall onto her back as her legs gave out. _Please don't hurt me please don't hurt me please don't hurt me._

And then she heard it: "K-Kaaa. . ." It was quiet and barely noticeable, yet she was able to hear it. Glancing at the monster, Bea knew it heard the sound too.

"Kangaskhan!" It cried out and ran off in the direction of the sound, leaving Bea behind. She hesitated for a few seconds. She should leave, go back to Dylan and the others. Yet, a smaller part of her was saying to follow the creature and make sure it was alright. It seemed to be searching for something, after all.

She slowly regained her strength and walked in the direction of the dark Pokémon. She eventually found it in front of a pile of what looked like about four cars, all smashed together. Glass scattered the area.

"Kanga!" The beast roared, digging through the rubble. It sounded scared. Scared and sad.

Before she even knew what was going on, Bea's legs carried her over to the creature's side. Her arms didn't obey her commands, and began scooping up bits of debris and throwing them off to the side. The creature paused for a moment to look at her, but her body kept resisting her orders to stop. She just kept on lifting and tossing the objects in front of her.

Lift, toss. Lift, toss. Lift, toss.

She didn't even know what she was supposed to be searching for, but yet she kept on working.

Lift, toss. Lift, toss. Lift—

There, before her, was a hand. An actual human hand, completely covered in blood. Bea gagged at the sight and immediately stepped back. She was lucky that she hadn't had anything to eat for the past day, otherwise she really would have thrown up.

"Khan!" The creature reached into the hole it had dug and pulled out a miniature version of itself, only it was a lavender color. Bea's uneasiness faded as she watched the two reunite in a tear-filled hug. The younger one then climbed into the larger one's pouch.

"Kangaskhan." The big Pokémon turned its head to Bea and nodded; a quiet 'thank you' for her help.

Bea returned the gesture. "Stay safe, you two," she whispered. The Pokémon nodded before turning to walk the other way.

A few moments passed, and Bea stayed standing there, watching the two of them leave.

She heard something. It sounded like sirens, coming nearer and nearer. But, how? Was she imagining things?

"Bea? Bea!" A young voice met her ears, making her turn around to see Josiah looking up at her. His large eyes were wide and scared. "Bea!" He wrapped his tiny arms around her waist. "I was scared. . ."

"Don't worry," Bea whispered to him. Then she saw people in front of her, a few kilometers away. She let go of Josiah and limped forward towards them. "Hey! Hey, over here!"

One of them turned her head towards her for a second. Then she said something to the others and ran towards Bea and Josiah.

_Help_. Help was on the way.

Bea's pain vanished as Josiah reached up to her hand. Nothing could hurt her or the others anymore.

They would be safe.


	4. Aftermath and Epilogue

Seventy-one.

Seventy-one people and Pokémon were killed in the tsunami, and that number still rises as more bodies are found.

Matt and his Pikachu were among those who had lost their lives in the disaster.

Many buildings were destroyed, and hundreds of survivors were displaced with nowhere to go. It would take a lot of dedicated work and time to be able to rebuild Kanto back to the beauty it was before.

Only a few days after the torrent, nearby regions such as Sinnoh and Hoenn, and even Alola sent police and medical forces to respond and help out the destroyed region.

The Kantonian and Johtonian Elite Four and respective Champions were among the first to respond to the area, and Bea was able to actually meet Bruno of the Kantonian Elite Four, whom she admired and respected for his outstanding skill in Fighting-Types.

On better terms, Bea, Dylan, and the three boys were brought to a nearby hospital. Their wounds were taken care of and they were safe there.

While at the hospital, Conner was reunited with his Croconaw. Apparently the Water-Type has been found unconscious, and was brought here to be helped by the doctors.

And what's more, apparently when the wave had gone back into the ocean, many people and Pokémon had been sucked out with it. Of those who had been pulled out to sea was Lu. When police officials went out to sea to patrol for any survivors, they had found the Hawlucha, still alive. She was returned to Bea a few days later.

After first hearing about the quake and tsunami, the Galarian League had sent a helicopter as soon as they could so that Bea could return back home. She refused, as she would rather stay here in Kanto— not for her vacation, but to help the families and residents of the region. And so she was expected to return in a week.

Within that week, Bea helped clean out a large portion of a nearby city, Lavender Town. Everyone agreed that the bodies of those who lost their lives— both people and Pokémon alike— would rest at the top of the Pokémon Tower, where they would be far above from the crashing waves, yet close enough to them as well.

There was a remembrance, and Bea was the one who had been comforted by Josiah. Even if she had only known Matt for a few hours, it was emotional to have him gone. Dylan was also in tears, thinking of what had happened if Bea had been on that list of people killed. Technically she should be on that list, with the boys as well, but yet here they were, alive and breathing close by each other.

The week came and went, and before Bea knew it, the helicopter was back to pick her and Dylan up. If the airport hadn't gotten destroyed, or if the roads weren't full of debris, Bea would have asked to have a plane. But as it was, there weren't any easily accessible ways to return home.

The helicopter landed; the time to leave had come. Bea glanced back, surprised to find a huge crowd there. They were all there to send her off safely. Her eyes burned with fresh tears, and her lip quivered. These people were so selfless!

That's what a natural disaster like this will do.

Eventually Bea couldn't take it anymore and broke down in front of everyone. Immediately people rushed around her, patting her back, giving her hugs, and whispering words of encouragement.

Bea began to cry even more, surrounded by these people she hardly knew. She didn't even know their names, and never saw their faces before, yet here they were, trying to help her.

The crowd dispersed after several moments (mostly due to Dylan's comment that Bea needed space to breathe) and watched as Bea quickly wiped her eyes on her new Johtonian shirt. She felt bad for messing it up, but the action was involuntary.

She lifted her head and saw three certain boys hiding in the back of the crowd. She took a step forward, then another.

The crowd parted around her like the Red Sea, until she was in front of the three boys. Her Poké Ball shook a few times before Mienshao let herself out. Bea didn't say anything to her.

Conner, Abe, and Josiah were shaking while they cried, and in one movement, Bea wrapped her arms around the three of them.

"B- Bea! I'm so- ree- ee," Conner gasped out, leaning towards Bea.

The older girl rubbed his back. "It's alright, Conner. I've already forgiven you."

Conner looked up at her and wiped his nose on his hand. "Really?"

Bea nodded gently and turned to Abe.

"Thank you for saving my life," he whispered, looking down. "More than once."

"There's no need to thank me," Bea told him, patting his head. He looked up at her with teary eyes, and she wiped them away with her thumb. "Tell your sister I said hi, alright?" She asked, just to try to help him.

Abe nodded. "Right." He stepped back before running to Mienshao and embracing her in a huge hug. The Fighting-Type was caught off guard at first, but returned the gesture.

Finally Bea turned to the last boy, who had yet to say anything.

"Bea! Don't go!" She was taken by surprise by Josiah's yell as he hugged her as tightly as he could. "Please!"

"Josiah. . ." Bea began, but he didn't let her continue.

"I won't let you leave! I can't let you go!"

"Josiah. . ." Bea could feel the tears burning in her eyes. Josiah had been the first of the four boys to accept her, and had been kind to her since they first met. And now, with this whole experience to add to that, it hurt to have to say goodbye.

Bea collapsed down on her knees and hugged Josiah, trying to hide her tears beneath her hair. It didn't quite work, though, and felt Dylan pat her back.

"We need to leave," he told her.

Bea nodded and took a deep breath to regain herself. She gave Josiah one last squeeze before letting go of him and standing up straight.

"I'll be back," she said to Josiah before he could say anything. "I promise."

Josiah blinked a few times and looked up at her with watery eyes. "Promise?"

Bea nodded and gave him a small smile. "I promise."

Josiah seemed to accept that, for he nodded and gave her a huge smile. "Whenever you see me again, I'm going to be the best Pokémon Trainer ever!"

She laughed. "I'm sure you will."

"Bea, we need to go," Dylan repeated.

"Right." She looked back at the three boys. "Bye, guys."

Conner nodded. "Bye. . ."

Abe glanced at her for a second before giving Mienshao a high five. "Bye, you two! My sister and I will be rooting for you both in the next Gym tournament!"

Bea nodded. "Thank you, Abe." She pulled out Mienshao's Poké Ball to return her.

Josiah still seemed a bit torn, but there was nothing that Bea could do.

"Hey, Josiah." He looked up at the sound of his name. "Take care of everyone, okay?"

His face lit up. "Okay!"

Bea nodded and, along with Dylan, went back towards the front of the crowd to the helicopter.

"Ready?" Dylan asked, opening the door for her.

Bea wiped her eyes of any last remaining tears and glanced back at everyone. "Yes, I think so." She got inside the helicopter, and Dylan closed the door behind her. A few seconds later he opened the door on the other side and got in next to her.

As the vehicle was going up, Bea looked out the window, only to see Conner, his Pokémon, Abe, and Dylan waving up at her.

From her height in the sky, she could see the destruction caused by the tsunami. All around these people was debris and fallen buildings, and yet they were still smiling, with actual joy on their faces.

"I thought you were afraid of heights," Dylan commented. Bea saw his eyes sparkle with the mischievousness she hadn't seen in what felt like years.

"You know what, I think that there are bigger things I can worry about. Being here in Kanto has taught me that." She looked out the window.

"What are you thinking about?"

Bea sighed. Her brother caught onto everything going through her head. "Just about everyone back in Kanto. I hardly knew them, but it feels like I'm so close to each of them."

Dylan smiled softly. "That's what a natural disaster can do. It can tear people apart, but it can also bring a community closer together."

🌊 🌊 🌊

A month has passed since Bea returned home to Stow-on-Side with her brother.

Since then, many good things have happened, such as Bea and Dylan's scars being mostly healed. Bea's was so faint now that she could apply a little bit of makeup, and it would be virtually impossible to detect. Not only that, but the residents in and around Kanto were helping each other out and fixing the region to its once-glorious self.

Dylan finally confessed to Nessa about his feelings about her. And while she didn't share the same feeling towards him yet, they definitely were a lot closer than they had been before, and went on walks more often between Nessa's time at her Gym and her life as a model.

Dylan now helped out Nessa in her Gym, and she and him trained with his Palpitoad daily until it evolved into a very powerful Seismitoad. Bea, however, would not go anywhere near the water, and she was more than a bit surprised that Dylan could adjust back to normal life so easily after what had happened.

People still would point and whisper amongst themselves whenever Bea would walk by. "That's the girl who was trapped in the Kanto tsunami not that long ago!" "Yeah, I heard about that— Wait, is that actually her?" Those were the kinds of things that Bea would hear, and she tried her best to ignore them. Hopefully they would forget about her soon. At least, that was her wish.

There was one thing though that worried her the most. Ever since she returned from Kanto, Allister had completely avoided her. It was as if he had forgotten all about her. She would see him in passing and call out to him, but he would look up at her for a second before quickly running the other way.

And Bea even admitted that it hurt, being ignored by her best friend.

Dylan told her not to worry, that eventually Allister would come around and talk to her again. But then that "eventually" turned into a week, then a month, Bea started to become concerned.

She just didn't understand why Alli would want to ignore her. They were friends, she thought. Not only that, but she thought that he would be ecstatic to see her alive again after what had happened back in Kanto.

That wasn't the case, though, and Bea was about ready to give up on trying to get her friend back when someone came up behind her.

"Hey, Bea?"

The blonde whirled around, prepared to hit whoever touched her shoulder. She was not expecting to be facing a black-and-white haired Gym Leader around the same age as herself. His eyes were a soft bluish-gray, and his skin pale. From up close, Bea noticed just how much resemblance his younger sister had to him.

Piers took a step back. "Woah, calm down. It's just me."

Bea glanced down. "Sorry." She didn't say anything else; she was too ashamed to have let her guard down like that and then behave like she did to the Dark-Type Trainer. She was too ashamed to have nearly _punched_ him.

Piers gently placed his hand back into Bea's shoulder, looking at her face. "It's fine. I know you're thinking about him, am I right?"

"What?" Bea shot her head up. How did Piers know? Was it a lucky guess? Or were Bea's walls down for a lot longer than she had thought? "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bea. . ." Piers sighed. "It's Allister, right?"

Bea stiffened. "Do you know why he's been avoiding me?" Her gray eyes searched Piers's light blue ones.

A sad smile appeared on his lips. "Perhaps it's better if he tells you himself."

"But I can't! He won't! He keeps avoiding me. . ." She quickly wiped a tear from her eye before it could fall.

"Say, Bea." The blonde glanced up for a second. "Who was it that told you to go to Kanto for your vacation. . ?"

Bea frowned, not sure why he had changed the subject so suddenly. "It was Alli. . ."

"Then that's your answer. Or part of it anyway." Piers smiled softly, although it seemed a bit forced. "He's most likely in the cemetery. Now go, and get your friend back." His hand squeezed her shoulder gently, full of compassion.

Bea took a step back. Then another.

_Alli_.

Without another word, she turned and ran in the other direction, towards Allister's cemetery. She had an idea. . .

As she was sprinting, she threw Mienshao's Poké Ball ahead of her. The Fighting-Type was confused at first, but began running beside Bea nonetheless. After explaining her plan to her, Mienshao agreed to help get Allister back.

Now all they needed was to find him.

As the two of them neared the cemetery, Bea looked up ahead and sure enough, Allister was there, sitting in front of a small tree. The only Pokémon near him was his Phantump. It took every inch of Bea's self control to not go over there and talk to him.

"Okay, Mienshao," she whispered. "You stay here, and I'll go to the other side." She pointed to the northern entrance at the other end of the cemetery. "When I give you the signal, I want you to start going towards Allister, okay?"

"Mien." She nodded.

If all goes according to plan, I should be able to catch Alli and finally get him to explain what's going on.

Bea hurried along to the opposite side and took a deep breath. She had to do this, but whether or not Allister would listen to her. . . That was another story.

She closed her eyes and gave a nod, hoping that Mienshao noticed. Luckily, she did, as when Bea opened her eyes back up, she saw Mienshao walking towards Allister slowly.

"Shao?" she asked quietly, to avoid startling him.

Allister's head turned and saw Mienshao there. His body went rigid. Immediately, he bolted up to his feet and returned his Phantump back into his Dusk Ball before running in the other direction of Mienshao— right to where Bea was hiding.

As soon as his foot exited the cemetery, Bea jumped out from her hiding spot and wrapped her arms around him. Allister struggled and squirmed within her grasp, but she didn't let go. It pained her to see him act like this.

"Alli," she tried saying, but he ignored her. "Alli, it's me! Stop fighting!"

Allister paused for a moment before resuming his fight, only now his movements were more desperate. "No! Let me go! I don't want to die! Please, forgive me!"

Bea didn't reply, but loosened her grip on him, in case he ended up choking himself with how he was flailing. In that instant, Allister freed himself and whirled around. He looked up at Bea's face through his mask. "Go away! Please!" His voice was begging.

"Alli. . ." A tear fell down onto the pavement below her as Bea took a small step forward. "It's me, Bea."

"B-Bea?" He almost sounded like he believed her, but that left as he spoke again. "No! She's dead! Stop lying to me and leave me alone!"

In one moment, Bea grabbed Allister and untied his mask.

"Alli, look at me." She leaned down to look at his teary black eyes. "I'm real. I'm alive. See?" She intertwined her fingers in his and held them up so he could see. "Could a ghost do this?"

Allister blinked and stared at their hands for several moments. "You're- you're alive?" Bea nodded gently. "H- how? Shuppet said she saw you die. You died in the—" He stopped mid sentence.

Bea sighed. "I. . . I did." One look at Allister's horrified face told her that that was not what she should have said. "According to Dylan, anyway," she added quickly. "But then he brought me back, and I'm here. I promise you, Alli, I'm telling the truth.

He nodded slowly, but then took a step back. "You're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Be- because I told you to go to Kanto for your vacation. And then you asked if I had wanted go too and I said yes but then I bailed at the last minute and told you to go with your brother." He took a breath. "I should've been there! This is all my fault. I am the one who nearly got both you and Dylan killed."

A sad smile made its way onto Bea's face. "Alli, I could never be mad at you. You know that, right?"

"But-"

"No one could have predicted that that tsunami would have hit, alright? So the best thing we can do now is to learn from it, without dwelling on what we could have done better." She ran a hand through her hair, pausing for a moment.

Both of them looked at each other.

"Bea?" Allister's weak voice quivered. He glanced down, his hands clenched into fists. "Please tell me you won't do that again."

Bea's gaze softened. "I wo—"

"Promise!" Allister's body shook as he tried to hold back tears.

"Alli. . ." Bea gently embraced him in a hug. They both leaned into each other, needing each other's support. "I won't do that ever again. I promise I'll always be here, no matter what. And I'll keep fighting for you, and everyone else.

"I promise this, Alli. I'll be here for you.

"Forever."


	5. Trivia

⚔️ TRIVIA 🛡

🌊 The main character was originally going to be an oc, but I scratched that idea before the first sentence

🌊 Dylan is actually my own character that I created as Bea's brother

🌊 Dylan is eighteen, Bea is sixteen, and Alli is fourteen in this. Other characters' ages are: the boys (8-10, with Conner being the oldest), Piers (17), Melony (38)

🌊 This all started after I began asking myself "Do natural disasters really happen in the Pokémon world?" I mean, we hear about them (through Absol's 'Dex entry) but we never actually see anyone talk about them nor do we see the effects of them

🌊 Dylan's name was originally going to be Josiah. I later scratched it because it just sounded too much like a little-kid name

🌊 I found out halfway through the story that Dylan's name literally means "born of the sea." How fitting!

🌊 The small meeting between Bea and Piers at the ending was originally meant to be between her and Nessa

🌊 Josiah was originally not going to survive, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill this innocent child

🌊 Allister was originally going to have feelings for Bea. However, I didn't want romance to be the driving motive behind everything, so I changed it so that friendship and family are the motives

🌊 In the original draft, I was supposed to have a Marshadow appear, as it is t he only Ghost-Fighting Type. The Marshadow was actually Matt's spirit. This was cut due to the fact that would now be a Pokémon. It would be too cruel to have him be caught by someone

🌊 The order I wrote these chapters was 1, 2, 4, 3 (I couldn't find any good words to describe part 3)

🌊 Part 3 is the shortest chapter, at exactly 2,000 words

🌊 This story is a mix of both the Sword and Shield games. You can tell because Bea is a Leader here, as well as Melony (Bea- exclusive to Sword; Melony- exclusive to Shield)

🌊 I know I didn't explain this, but Dylan originally had a Tympole at the start of the story. At the fight with Lanturn, it evolved into a Palpitoad. This is why he claims that his Pokémon was too weak to actually catch anything in the beginning


End file.
